Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a light source module and a backlight unit including the same, and, more particularly, to a light source module providing good luminous efficacy while realizing a slim structure and improved external appearance, and a backlight unit including the same.
Discussion of the Background
A typical backlight unit is generally used in surface lighting devices for providing light to a liquid crystal display.
A backlight unit provided to the liquid crystal display is classified into a direct type and an edge type according to locations of light emitting devices.
Development of the direct type backlight unit has started with the advent of liquid crystal displays of 20″ or more, and the direct type backlight unit includes a plurality of light sources disposed on a lower surface of a diffusing plate, such that an entire surface of a liquid crystal display panel is directly illuminated with light emitted from the light sources. Such a direct type backlight unit has higher efficiency in use of light than the edge type backlight unit and is generally used in large liquid crystal displays requiring high brightness.
The edge type backlight unit is generally applied to relatively small liquid crystal displays, such as monitors for laptop computers and desktop computers, and has advantages in terms of good uniformity of light, long lifespan, and thickness of liquid crystal displays.
Recently, a novel edge type backlight unit wherein light emitting diode packages providing advantages in terms of low power consumption and a slim structure are mounted on a substrate and disposed on an inner surface of the backlight unit is proposed in the related art.
However, the edge type backlight unit including the light emitting diode packages has a limitation in thickness reduction of the backlight unit with gradually increasing demand for a slimmer backlight unit, and has difficulty in use of highly efficient light emitting diode chips due to deterioration in heat dissipation by the light emitting diode packages.